Fluxing mechanism with movable flux applying tank



Nov. 25, 1952 w, w, MAHER 2,619,064

FLUXING MECHANISM WITH MOVABLE FLUX APPLYING TANK Filed Aug. 23, 1949 2 SHEETS-"SHEET 1 II II II II II I I 1"] H II II II I! IN VEN TOR. W/ZZ //4M 14/. MAHEE AM a 14 7'7'0E/VE NOV. 25, 1952 w, w, MAHER 2,619,064

FLUXING MECHANISM WITH MOVABLE FLUX APPLYING TANK Filed Aug. 25, 1949 2'S1'lEETS-$IIEET 2 IN V EN TOR. W/LL //4M /4/. M/Ib EE ZM iA-ML Patented Nov. 25, 1952 FLUXING MECHANISM WITH MOVABLE FLUX APPLYING TANK William W. Maher, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 23, 1949, Serial No. 111,853

- 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to machines for soldering or otherwise adhesively securing fit"- tings, such as nozzles, pouring. spouts, handles, etc. to other articles such as cans or containers and has particular reference to improved mechanism for fluxing or otherwise preparing such fittings prior to their attachment to the articles.

This is a companion to my co-pendin-g United States applications Serial No. 111,852, filed August 23, 1949, on Machine for Applying Uniting Materials to Articles and for Assembling Them Together, and Serial No. 111,854, filed August 23, 1949, on Liquid Adhesive Applying Mechanism with Piston Feed.

The invention more particularly contemplates the provision of an improved mechanism for applying liquid flux to sheet metal can nozzles preparatory to the nozzles being coated with a. film of molten solder and assembled with sheet metal containers for sweating thereto although the invention is equally well adapted to applying other fluid material to other fittings or articles if desired.

An object of the invention is the provision of a fluxing mechanism wherein controlled predetermined quantities of flux may be applied to fittings under high speed rates of production.

Another object is the provision of such a mechanism wherein a quantity of the flux is segregated and maintained at a constant predetermined depth so as to insure application of the flux to a predetermined height on all fittings, nozzles, or other articles, by an immersion of the articles into the flux.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which. taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a combination section and side elevation of a mechanism embodying the instant invention, with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 in Fig. l, with parts broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate a mechanism for applying a film or coating of a liquid flux 01' fluxing material to sheet metal nozzles A preparatory to subsequently solder coating the nozzles and sweating them onto sheet the permanent or electromagnet type and having a pair of spaced and parallel guide rails l2. secured to the lower faces thereof for locating the nozzles and for guiding them along a predetermined path of travel, as desired.

The fiuxing mechanism comprises a flux tank "which is located under the bar magnets ll and which is secured to a frame l5 which may be the main frame of a more elaborate machine. The tank id contains a bath ii of the liquid fluxing material. .Thetop of the tank is open. This flux tank is equipped with a vertically movable shallow tray ll of a depth substantially equal to the height of the flux desired to be applied to the suspended nozzles. A and is kept filled with flux from the tank.

The tray I1 is disposed horizontally adjacent the open top of the flux tank M and is mounted on the upper end of a vertical actuating rod i8, carried in slide bearings l9 formed in the tank and in the frame I5. The lower end of the actuating rod [8 carries a cam roller 2| which operates in a cam groove 22 of a face cam 23 secured to a rotatable shaft 24 journaled in bearings 25 formed in the frame [5. The shaft may be rotated in any suitable manner.

Thus through the rotation of the cam 23, the tray I1 is raised and lowered relative to the bar magnets II. On its up stroke, the tray I1 is lifted. high enough to meet and immerse the lower ends of a suspended nozzle A into the flux in the tray for substantially the full depth of the tray and hence since the tray is kept filled with flux the same predetermined amount of flux is applied to all of the nozzles suspended from the bar magnets ll.

Maintenance of the predetermined amount of flux in the tray I! is effected preferably by a rotatable lifter wheel 28 which rotates in the bath S6 of the flux in the tank I l. The Wheel is disposed at an angle in the tank and leans toward and partially overhangs an extension 29 (Fig. 3) 0f the tray IT. The inner face of the wheel is and is driven by a helical gear 38 mounted on and rotating with a gear shaft 39. The gear shaft 39 is journaled in a pair of spaced bearing brackets 4| secured to the top of and one side of the frame I 5. The shaft is rotated by an endless chain 42 which operates over 'a driving sprocket 43 mounted on the shaft 24 and over adriven sprocket 44 mounted on the gear shaft 39.

In this manner of connection with the shaft 24, the lifter wheel 28 is rotated in the bath l6 of fiux and carries up or lifts a film of the flux which is scraped on by the scraper blade 32 into the tray l1. Excess fiux overflows the edges of the tray and falls back into the flux tank l4 and thus maintains the fiux within the tray at a predetermined depth for deposit onto the nozzles A or any similar articles. It is of course understood that the described mechanism may be used with treating materials other than flux and with articles other than nozzles.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Iclaim:

-1. Mechanism for applying liquid fiux or similar material to articles, comprising a support for holding an article to be fiuxed, a tank disposed beneath said supported article for containing a supply of liquid flux, a traydisposed between said tank and said support and constantly above the flux level in said tank for receiving and holding flux therein, a lifter wheel rotatably mounted adjacent said tray and having its lower peripheral portion immersed in the tank flux, the upper peripheral portionof said wheel overhang- 4 ing said tray, means for rotating said wheel to carry the flux thereby from said tank to above said tray, a fixed blade disposed above said tray and engaging the overhanging peripheral portion of said lifter wheel for scraping flux therefrom and directingit into said tray to maintain the tray constantly filled to overflowing with flux, and means for imparting vertical movement to said filled tray above the fiux level in said tank for applying flux from the tray to a predetermined portion of said article.

2. Mechanism for applying liquid flux or similar material to articles, comprising a support for holding articles to be fluxed, a tank disposed beneath a said supported article for containing a supply of liquid flux, a tray movably disposed between said tank and said support and constantly above the flux level in said tank for receiving and holding fiux therein, said tray having a filling extension projecting laterally therefrom, a fiux lifter wheel mounted for rotation in said tank adjacent said tray filling extension, said wheel having a laterally projecting annular rim immersed at its lower portion in the tank flux, the upper portion of said wheel rim overhanging said tray filling extension, means for rotating said wheel to carry the flux on the wheel rim from said tank to above said tray filling extension, a stationary blade disposed above the filling extension of the tray and in engagement with the overhanging rim of said lifter wheel for scraping the flux therefrom and directing it into said filling extension to maintain the tray constantly filled to overflowing with flux, and means for vertically reciprocating said filled tray while disposed at all times above the flux level in said tank for successively applying flux from the constantly filled tray to similar predetermined portions of said supported articles.

WILLIAM W. MAHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,103,067 McColl July 14, 1914 1,783,642 Ferguson Dec. 2, 1930 2,135,995 Witzke Nov. 8, 1938 2,313,751 Hunter Mar. 16, 1943 

